BIG CONSTRUCTION on the Red Line will close it all Summer

image description: photo of Red Line in Beechview with red stripe and text overlaid on the image that says “CONSTRUCTION”

The Red Line will be closed all summer due to some big (and important) construction projects. See more about the project details on PRT’s website here.

The good news is that this is the type of work that only needs to get done every 30-40 years…
…the bad news is that it’s finally time for PRT to do this work on the Red Line and it will continue until 2028.

The state-of-good-repair work is will cost nearly $150 Million. The work will be done in phases over the next 4 years. See PRT’s webpages for the project, or their press release below, for a full breakdown of what work will be done and when. You can also learn more about the project by watching/reading some of the news coverage thats linked at the bottom of this blog.

PRT did a great job at their first public meeting on 3/21. 80 people showed up in-person at the St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Beechview. Folks obviously had some big concerns and a lot of questions because we face 3 months of a total Red Line closure this summer, and years of delays and construction.

Beechview is a heavily Latino neighborhood, so people need to hear information and ask questions in both Spanish and English. PRT handled the bilingual interpretation of the meeting very well. We’re excited to see this as its been a demand of ours for years, and we hope its the beginning of a new more-accessible chapter at the agency.

PRT also had some important information to help alleviate some of the rider concerns: the replacement shuttles will be on a regular schedule throughout the day, there will be dedicated bus operators assigned to the route, the shuttles will be visible on the True Time app so people can see when the next one is coming, and Beechview residents will have a shuttle run down Broadway Ave. This was a positive start to the conversation, and PRT needs to stay responsive to rider concerns throughout this entire process.

We’re still looking forward to hearing more details about the project. Riders need to stay organized and attentive to ensure PRT is doing all it can to provide good service for its riders. Riders can learn more about PRT’s Red Line construction project with this map of the Red Line replacement shuttles that will run from the end of June to the end of August this summer.

image description: map from PRT that shows the Red Line replacement shuttle routes, that are detailed in the press release below.

Press release from PRT released March 19th, 2024:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 19, 2024) – Pittsburgh Regional Transit next month will embark on an ambitious, multi-year rehabilitation effort by investing more than $150 million to bolster the safety, reliability, and longevity of our region’s light-rail infrastructure, the agency announced today.

PRT will combine multiple projects that were initially intended to be completed separately to streamline operations, maximize efficiency, and minimize disruptions while enhancing the overall reliability and safety of this critical transit corridor.

The projects include expanding an ongoing effort to repair the concrete rail foundations in the downtown subway tunnels; replacing more than 10,000 feet of light-rail track and four grade crossings in  Castle Shannon, Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Beechview, and inside the Mt. Lebanon and Mt. Washington Transit Tunnels; reconstructing Belasco Station in Beechview; upgrading Station Square and Dormont Junction light-rail stations;, and rehabilitating the Panhandle Bridge, the 1.2-mile span that takes light rail cars over the Monongahela River near Station Square.

Many of the projects are fully funded. PRT will continue to seek funding for those that are not.

“These projects are an important investment in our region’s future,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman. “By fortifying our light-rail system, we’re building a stronger, safer, and more reliable foundation for years to come.”

PRT will join community members at a meeting in Beechview to discuss these projects and how they will impact riders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 at St. Catherine of Siena Church on Broadway Avenue.

An online meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. A presentation at both meetings will include an overview of all projects.

For anyone unable to attend either meeting, the presentation will be available at www.rideprt.org/rail24 (this page will not be live until later this week).

The first project will begin with the closure of the light-rail system between Steel Plaza and Gateway stations in downtown Pittsburgh for about seven weeks immediately following the Pirates home opener on April 5.

The projects will continue consecutively through 2028. As one project ends, another will begin. Some will present only minor travel delays to riders while others will close portions of the light rail system and require significant detours.

Full project timelines and service information, including detours, will be announced as we approach additional project milestones:

PLINTH WORK: April 5 – May 30, 2024

PRT will expand the repairs and replacement of the plinth, the concrete beam upon which the light rail tracks sit in the downtown subway tunnels, to seven-days a week. This work has been occurring on-and-off on weekends only since late 2022.

During this project, rail cars coming from the South Hills will serve First Avenue and Steel Plaza stations before continuing to Penn Station, the otherwise inactive rail station located across the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway from The Pennsylvanian. 

Riders traveling to Gateway, North Side or Allegheny stations can exit rail vehicles at Penn Station and board a free shuttle bus to Gateway Station. From Gateway, riders can board a rail car to North Side and Allegheny stations. 

From Allegheny Station, rail cars will serve North Side and Gateway stations. Riders continuing toward the South Hills should exit rail cars at Gateway, board a shuttle bus from the temporary stop outside the station, and travel to Penn Station, where they can board a rail car to the South Hills. 

There will be no bus shuttles on May 4 and 5 due to the Pittsburgh Marathon and related events; on May 18 due to Open Streets; and on May 19 due to the UPMC Rush to Crush Cancer bike ride. 

After May 30, the work will continue some weekends through the summer. An additional multi-week closure to complete the work will likely be required in 2025. 

May 17 – June 15, 2024

Rail cars will single-track on between St. Anne Station and Willow Station while crews replace the tracks at Willow Street.

June 16 – July 14, 2024

Rail cars will single-track on the Red Line between Overbrook Junction and Dormont Junction while crews replace the tracks at Alfred Street.

June 16 –  August 31, 2024 

The Red Line will be closed from Overbrook Junction to South Hills Junction to accommodate several rail projects. During this closure, all Red Line trips will be detoured via the Blue Line and will be renamed “Blue Line” to avoid confusion.

PRT will operate two new temporary bus routes to cover this area:

  • The 42-Potomac will operate every 30 minutes (every 20 minutes from 6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.) from Potomac Station to Station Square via Route 19.
  • The 37-Castle Shannon will operate every 30 minutes from Castle Shannon Station to Station Square via Castle Shannon Boulevard and Route 19.

These temporary bus routes will be included in PRT’s regular schedules and viewable in PRT’s and third-party real-time applications.

PRT will also operate a rail shuttle between Dormont Junction and Overbrook Junction to allow riders to travel south to Overbrook Junction and transfer to the Blue Line at Willow to board any inbound light-rail car to downtown Pittsburgh or outbound rail car to South Hills Village.

2025

The Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel will be closed for several months while the rail within the tunnel is replaced. Rail cars and buses will detour via the tracks that run through Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood. The exact schedule for this project will be announced later this year.

2026

PRT will replace the tracks inside the Mt. Lebanon Transit Tunnel. This work is expected start in 2026.

2026-2028

The Panhandle Bridge will be rehabilitated for the first time in about 40 years. This work is expected to start in 2026 and will take approximately 30 months to complete.

Station Square and Dormont Junction Light-Rail Station Rehabilitation

Designs are expected to be complete by the end of 2024, although there is currently no estimated timeline for either of these projects as they are not yet fully funded.

Riders with questions are encouraged to contact Customer Service by calling 412-442-2000 on Twitter @PghTransitCare or via live chat at www.ridePRT.org. 

Red Line Construction Project + Public Meeting News Recap